Frank, you'll be happy to know I am entering a chili competition this weekend. I will be making a (highly) modified version of Kenji's chili from Serious Eats, but considering my location (and the sponsor of the event) I will be forced to add beans. OK, maybe you won't be happy to know this...
The event is sponsored by a local food company that produces, among other things, canned beans. They even supply them for the competition (but I am using dried beans LOL). Since the event is judged by local yokels who fork over $25 for the privilege (?), I won't hold my breath about winning. Most folks here find ketchup to be spicy so they will probably need to visit the ER after eating my chili (which I don't really make that hot, at least not to my palate). But I'm sure it will be fun and I'm excited to be up against the Hyvee (local supermarket) chef, who actually seems somewhat adventurous. He does tastings at the store and he's had a few pretty tasty dishes that were probably too "wild" for most of the locals.